Shortly after we said goodbye to 2014, a year that already saw 61 journalists killed on the job, another assault against “freedom of expression” occurred in Paris, by, yet again, extremist radical Muslims. Last Wednesday, three masked gunmen stormed the offices of French satirical magazine, “Charlie Hebdo,” and took with them the lives of ten…
Author: USM
Interview process for new president to start soon
University of Maine System administrators will soon be interviewing candidates who have applied to be the next president at USM after current president David Flanagan leaves at the end of the spring semester. The window to apply for the position closed in mid-December and the candidate pool has been whittled down to a workable number….
Arts department spring overview
This semester, USM students and staff will be performing and directing a variety of events that are sure to enthrall anyone who attends. From an instrumental concert to a Shakespearean comedy, this spring is full of exciting shows and exhibits that are sure to both educate and entertain its audiences. 1.) Book Arts paper Trail…
Majority against academic calendar change
When the faculty senate reached out to the USM community in early December for input on possible changes to the academic calendar, survey participants said they wanted everything to stay the same. The idea to align the academic calendars of all seven UMaine campuses has been brought up regularly throughout the fall semester by system-level…
Administrators layout goals for the spring semester
Now that the framework to balance USM’s budget has been drafted, the administration has focused its efforts to securing a bright future for the school, through four main initiatives that they hope to have completed before President David Flanagan steps down at the end of the semester. “The budget is balanced and the hardest…
Heavy Rotation Reviews
Eminem, Shady XV Eminem’s new album “Shady XV” features one disc of his new material and one that has his greatest hits. His song, “Detroit Vs. Everybody” reminds listeners of how far he has come from being a man on the streets of Detroit to a world-renowned rapper. He raps, “Comin’ from them streets where…
Men’s head ice hockey coach retires mid-season
After 28 years as head coach of the men’s ice hockey team, Jeff Beaney retired over the winter break and the reason why has been left unclear. According to Chris Quint, USM’s executive director of public affairs. Beaney would have ideally finished up the rest of the season with his team, but a “variety of…
Noah is visually impressive but ultimatley sinks
At times reminiscent of the darker side of Jim Henson’s puppet workshop, and at other times wandering through Cormac McCarthy’s burnt-out landscape, all the while grappling with one of the oldest stories in Western civilization’s mythos, Noah is an overproduced, but impeccably acted, well thought out but poorly written, sweeping philosophical endeavor that sometimes stumbles…
Banditos bad, but entertaining
Straight from the Gutter, self-released by the Banditos, is old-school punk in its most unrehearsed, technically imperfect and haphazard form. The Banditos are not a good band–at all. Before playing the album, you may notice that Straight from the Gutter’s cover shows a picture of a man, whose head is a poorly photoshopped dollhead wearing…
The Blade Society fights to preserve history
Every Tuesday night in the Sullivan Sports Complex a battle rages between armor-clad members of the USM Blade Society. The Blade Society is a student-run group that meets weekly to learn, practice and ultimately perfect the sword and fencing techniques of several different European styles. Made up of many different individual groups, including the Society…
USM defeats Bates in softball doubleheader
By: David Sanok The Huskies’ softball team defeated the Bates Bobcats 1-0 and 7-6 in a doubleheader last Wednesday. The first matchup featured solid pitching from freshman Desiree Benner. Benner earned her fourth win of the season while pitching just over six innings, finishing the game with three strikeouts. “She was really on top of…
Student honors fallen marine
Brandon Sodergren is a senior criminology major, member of the wrestling team and a student senator. Before attending USM, Sodergren served in the Marines for six years beginning in 2006, including two tours–one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan–as an infantry machine gunner. Now he spends his free time running marathons and fundraising in honor…
Students for #USMFuture’s open letter to administrators
Dear USM President Kalikow, Provost Stevenson, UMaine System Chancellor Page, and UMaine Trustees: We were overjoyed when we heard President Kalikow [unexpectedly reversed] her decision to “retrench” 12 to 15 tenured faculty in a single day. To us, the un-retrenchments mark an unequivocal victory, the achievement of our number 1 stated goal from the day…
You Are Wrong: Isn’t laughing awesome? You’re welcome.
I’m Thaddeus Moriarty, and you are wrong. Why? Because you think I’m funny. Or you think I’m not funny. Either way, that’s why you’re wrong this time. Because someone, somewhere, disagrees with you no matter what you think. I’ve heard it both ways; a woman on the Free Press website said I was witty (and…
Our Opinion: Paging Provost Stevenson
The ghost in the machine at USM has a name, and I think we all know what it is. Provost Stevenson has always been pretty ghostly, but since President Kalikow backpedaled on his least popular decision without bothering to let him know ahead of time, he’s been downright incorporeal –– we have a heck of…
Retrenchment Retrospective: Dean Kuzma explains criteria for cuts
Though the retrenchments and position discontinuances that were announced last March have since been rescinded, the process by which faculty members were selected for layoffs is still seen as unclear. One of the reasons that understanding the process is important, according to Dean Lynn Kuzma of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, is…
Honors morale high as funding drops and program reviews
The time has come again, after more than a decade, for the USM honors program to be reviewed, and according to program director Nancy Artz, the timing is right. “It would be fair to say that USM’s fiscal reality in recent years and future budget projections affected the timing of the review,” she said. The…
Blue Smoke brings nostaligia with familiar sounds
Blue Smoke, released by legendary country music heroine Dolly Parton, is what you would expect—a few good hearted tunes that you should never tell your friends you listen to. First off, the title track pulls out all the country-western cliches—a train drumbeat, picked banjo, quick fiddle riffs, slide dobro and a particular backup vocalist with…
Nymphomaniac is the sex filled journey you’d expect
Nymphomania Vol. I and Vol. II, in many ways, is not so different from other blockbuster Hollywood films today. There is sex, there is the glorious reveal of private body parts, the fetishization and the objectification by the protagonist of the opposite sex. Yet, unlike most of these films, the private body parts being revealed…
Arcadia hopes to combine beer and video games in a new venue
Coming in June there may be a place where games and beer come together for the people of Portland. Arcadia National Bar is looking to light up 24 Preble St. with its pixelated colors and ambery brews. With the assistance of the crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter.com, the bar’s owners Dave Aceto and Ben Culver hope to…
Understanding mortality through photography: how one artist understands death
The photography that junior foreign language major Kelly Donaldson brought to submit for the President’s Art Show deals with a topic that, according to her, is constantly ignored: death. On display on the 7th floor of the law building is a series of four photographs that depict macabre images that are meant to evoke some…
Earth day events aim to spread awareness about waste management
Earth Day is a celebration of progress in green practices, but it is also a day of awareness for environmental issues. Waste management has been a concern for quite a long time, but never before has it been so vital for a shift in perspective and methodology. It is no mystery that there is a…
Student profile: A commuter for community
Brendan Butler is first year student with a lot going on. He has not yet declared a major, but is already a member of the Phi Mu Delta fraternity, is a part of two bands, and has participated in many shows and community service activities. He has aspirations to make changes at USM and wants…
Phi Mu Delta strengthens community partnership
The Phi Mu Delta fraternity and University Neighborhood Organization co-hosted a cleanup of Longfellow Park with a block party to follow in the hope that the events will bring USM and its neighbors in Portland together. Phi Mu Delta, which only formed in 2012, also hopes that the event will help establish them within USM….